Smoked Salmon and Fennel Pizza

Smoked Salmon and Fennel Pizza

This is not your traditional pizza. Think of it more as "herb foccacia meets bagel with lox" - a thin, crisp crust, topped with thinly sliced fennel, creamy goat cheese, smoked salmon and fresh herbs. Finish it off with dollops of salmon or steelhead caviar for a decidedly decadent touch - if you dare.

Prepare the pizza dough according to recipe. Allow to rise, punch down and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a food processor or blender, process the 1/4 cup olive oil with the fresh basil leaves until a thick puree is formed. Set aside.

Generously grease a 14 inch pizza pan with olive oil. Stretch or roll the dough into a circle and place into the pan. Finish shaping the dough by pressing it as thin as possible so it completely covers the pan. Form a "rim" of dough around the edge.

Bake the crust in the bottom third of the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the surface of the crust with the olive oil/basil mixture. Scatter the thinly sliced fennel and onion over the crust. Distribute small dollops of goat cheese evenly over the top and drizzle with the smoked olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

Slip back into the pizza into the oven for 15 - 18 minutes or until the crust is brown and the goat cheese is soft and bubbly.

Remove the pizza from the oven and place on a rack to cool briefly. Top the pizza with the strips of smoked salmon. Scatter the fresh herbs over the surface. Spoon the caviar here and there if using.